The Snakeman of Bali is a Fishman too… by ParacelsusAsia It is perhaps fitting that the man we know as the Snakeman of Bali, a man possessing a well-developed sense of humour matched by a keen scientific mind, has been written about best by that august body, the Herpetological Society of Ireland (HSI). As any Irish person will tell you Ireland has no snakes because back in the 5th century AD Saint Patrick, who brought the island into the fold of Rome and, just as surely as he consigned the old Celtic Church to the dustbin of ecclesiastical history did, with his bishop’s rod, usher all the serpents of Erin into the sea - never to be seen again. Alas, in this case, as the man once sang “it ain’t necessarily so”. For sure, it’s true Ireland, along with New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica have no snakes outside of zoos and pets, the reason for it has more to do with geography and the ice age than it has with Saint Pat. Of course the reason the shamrock Saint and his Roman sponsors got the credit is because snakes are evil nasty things that led Adam & Eve astray and that, dear reader - is why the Lord put enmity between the serpent and man to this day. It is also why close to 200 species of snake are in danger of extinction today. Of course, it’s a bum rap. Snakes are sexy, healing and downright archetypically fascinating… we know that. And any herpetologist or scientist studying snakes is going to tell us they play a key role in the eco-system and snake venom is used to treat diseases ranging from cancer to haemophilia. In other words unless we stop wiping them out and learn to appreciate them (at a distance), we’re going to be sorry. Which brings me back to Ron Lilley, the Snakeman of Bali with whom I spent a very agreeable few hours recently, shooting the breeze and generally finding out where he was coming from. Without stridency or hint of peachiness Ron is fascinated by the animal world and reptiles in particularly. When, at one stage in our conversation, discussing the state of the planet, I remarked in passing that - God help me, I rather missed the Unabomber - he almost giggled, but I could see he definitely included human fauna in his ecological spectrum and this is also very much part of his work. Since he was a small boy growing up in England in the mid-1950s Ron was into wild life, particularly snakes (I’d lay money he was one of those kids that produce snakes from his pocket in class). His parents were smart enough to let him follow his nose, which led him unerringly to a BSc in Zoology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. After graduation he worked in a number of jobs which included a stint in a rather bizarre zoo on the Isle of Wight run by an eccentric owner, into which he managed to rope in his brother. It was during this period that he first learned to handle venomous snakes. 1986 he made his first trip to Indonesia as project leader of an expedition collecting reptile specimens in Maluku for the Indonesian and British Natural History Museums. It was during this expedition that he met and became close friends another member of the team, Gayatri Reksodihhardjo, an marine conservationist, whom he was to meet again working in Central America and subsequently marry. Having completed his Masters degree in Conservation Biology at the University of Kent studying the Komodo dragon, the couple settled in Indonesia permanently, working with various nature conservancy NGOs and studying reptiles throughout the archipelago. The International Nature Foundation – Yayasan LINI In 2007 Gayatri and Ron co-founded the Indonesian Nature Foundation or Yayasan LINI based in Bali, which is the vehicle for their life’s work and shared vision. LINI is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of community-based marine conservation areas so as to promote sustainable fisheries in Indonesia. The Indonesian word LINI means “line” or connection. The organisation seeks to establish firm and lasting connections between all stakeholders involved in coastal resource management strong in the knowledge that in establishing and maintaining strong connections between all people involved, will result in the development of long-lasting solutions for sustainability. LINI’s vision is a future where people recognize the richness and value of marine ecosystems as a common global resource, and in which Indonesian coastal communities are committed and empowered to care for their environment thereby enjoying a higher quality of life. The NGOs mission is to work with marginalized coastal communities to reverse the degradation of Indonesian coral reefs
and raise awareness about responsible and sustainable marine resource use. Such projects include working with community groups in northern Bali to pilot reef rehabilitation programs to support Marine Conservation Areas management. Healthier reefs have already led to improved and sustainable livelihoods in a number of communities. These activities have also contributed to protecting community beaches from storm surges, providing sustainable sources for food and the ornamental fish trade, while creating opportunities for eco-tourism activities in the region. A LINI Aquaculture and Training Centre (LATC) was officially opened in April 2016 with a great attendance from community groups, university students, Government representatives from the District and Jakarta, as well as the private sector. Good progress has already been made with trainings for volunteer groups and intern students. The LATC holds various trainings and anyone interested should contact LINI on +62 361 8427 168 for more information. Key LINI activities include: Sustainable Ornamental Fisheries Indonesia has been a hotspot for marine ornamental fish collection for the global market for decades. A responsible and sustainable ornamental fish trade urgently needs to be developed to combat over-exploitation and destructive collecting techniques (cyanide) that are widespread. Effective reef fisheries management policies are lacking, and no local or national legal framework exists to support or regulate ornamental fish collection and trade. LINI is the only local NGO seeking to address these issues working toward a sustainable marine ornamental fisheries in Indonesia. Reef Restoration LINI is helping Balinese coastal communities in Buleleng and Karangasem, as well as other places in Indonesia to rehabilitate their reefs by establishing artificial reef aggregation structures in damaged areas to serve as habitats for fish and other reef organisms, on which the coastal communities depend. In Bali, many resorts help by hosting reef restoration as part of their environmental care program. LINI assists resorts install artificial reefs, coral tables, as well as training their staff to monitor and maintain sites. LINI aims to continue assisting the coastal communities of Buleleng to make positive changes to the marine environment there. Together with the fishing groups, LINI scientists have been monitoring and carefully recording the progress of reef restoration, and so far show that significant numbers of fish, which had previously disappeared, are now returning to these reefs. Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPS) A key LINI activity is the Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP), which is an alliance of fishers, exporters and buyers working together to help fisheries meet the demands of the international market while reducing illegal fishing practices, habitat destruction and by catch. Working with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, an international organization formed to promote sustainable seafood worldwide, LINI assists in the formation and co-ordinates implementation of various FIP projects in Indonesian waters. These include projects for: Small scale Pelagic fisheries in Lombok Strait Project funded by IMACS – USAID to monitor small scale small pelagic (near-surface) fisheries involving 200 fishermen in East Bali (Kusamba and Seraya) and West Lombok (Ampenan and Bangko-Bangko). The species monitored are Frigate and Mackerel tuna in the Lombok Strait, important fishing areas for fishermen from Bali and Lombok, where hundreds of boats fish daily. Small scale handline Tuna in Banda Sea Tuna fishing is an important artisanal industry in the Banda Islands, Indonesia’s fabled Spice Islands. Fishermen catch tuna using handlines from very small two to three man boats that are equipped with ice. Every day, they leave their villages early in the morning, and on the same day they return to sell their catch to processing boat moored in a sheltered strait near their home. The Banda handline tuna fishery consists of at least 200 fishers. LINI is assisting them with management and development in an FIP. Small scale Snapper & Grouper fisheries in Makassar Strait Snapper and grouper reef fishing provides livelihoods for thousands of fishermen throughout Indonesia. The fish are caught with either handlines on shallow reefs or caught using bottom longlines. Fiisheries in many areas are suffering from overexploitation and habitat destruction. An ongoing FIP is working to
ensure fisheries will recover.
Wildlife Conservation Close to the hearts of the founders LINI works with a variety of Wildlife Conservation projects, including: Bali Snake Patrol Still very much Ron’s baby. Snakes are important pest control agents in Bali, but their numbers have dwindled largely because snakes are feared, and tend to be killed on sight. Their skins are used for the leather trade, and these all come from wild-caught animals, as there are no commercial snake farms in Indonesia. Ron provides a service called the “Bali Snake Patrol”, which includes identification and capture/rescue of snakes, advice on snake-proofing premises, educational talks, and information about snakebite. He aims to raise public awareness about reptiles and other wildlife, promoting safety, and helping to conserve Indonesia’s reptile fauna. Ron has assisted in the making of TV documentaries about snakes and other reptiles. He is a regular contributor of articles about Indonesian wildlife. He also recently contributed to a field survey for the management and training of villagers to protect nesting areas of rare sea turtles in West Sumatra. For more information about the Bali Snake Patrol and its work, or for consultancies about reptiles and other wildlife management issues, contact Ron by email at ronlilley@lini.or.id or at rphlilley@ yahoo.co.uk. Ron can also be contacted via the LINI office or direct by mobile No. +62 813 3849 6700. Photos of venomous and non-venomous snakes found in Bali, along with other useful information, can be found on Ron Lilley’s Snake Patrol Facebook Page. Banggai Cardinal Fish Communities in the Banggai archipelago in northeast Sulawesi depend for their living on the collection and local sale of marine products, including food fish, octopus, squid, sea cucumbers, and live fish for the international marine ornamental trade. One sought-after species is the Banggai, once a b u n d a n t throughout the B a n g g a i archipelago, is now the first marine ornamental fish facing extinction due to over-collection. In early 2009 LINI launched a community-based coral reef conservation initiative surveying distribution for the Banggai cardinal fish, and monitoring its population in the area. With the support coral reef conservation can support more sustainable reef fisheries, and serve as a model for elsewhere. Traditional Education LINI runs a traditional education program with the children in North Bali coastal villages. At these sessions, children learn about nature, their culture, including how to make traditional teas and play Indonesian instruments. Back to the Snakeman The members of the Herpetological Society of Ireland wanted to know what Ron’s ultimate goal was? He told them he wanted to rescue snakes from people and vice-versa. What he is doing today in Bali is just that - educating people about snakes and their place in the local environment, providing accurate identifications, and up-to-date information about snakebite first aid. To this end he eagerly awaits funding for the first-ever scientifically-valid Bali snakebite survey. However badly needed, the project remains stalled. Funding agencies like Rotary, who are interested, need to know how many people are bitten and how many die before they can know what funds to commit. It’s a classic Catch 22; without data, no surveys, and without surveys, no data can be collected. Apart from the ever-present shortage of funding for the Bali Snake Patrol call-out service, which is by welcome donation, the only other serpentine concern on Ron’s mind is snake anti-venom. There really isn’t any in Bali, or not much that’s actually appropriate to the species and bite to be treated. “One day I’d like to build my own small reptile facility for venom extraction, education and snake viewing”, says Ron wistfully. It’s not much to ask, he’s doing a grand job. I hope he gets it. ParacelsusAsia ParacelsusAsia@yahoo.com
BA Feature Article Copyright © 2017 Bali Advertiser You can read all past articles of BA Feature Article at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz